The Boston Bruins GM, all but bullied into trading young sniper Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs last month, can't help but hope the Leafs have a lousy season – or two – since he and the Bruins own Toronto's first-round pick for each of the next two years.

So far, so good, at least for Chiarelli. The Leafs were pounded 6-4 Saturday night by the powerful Washington Capitals to begin the season winless in two games.

The final score was respectable after the visitors dug themselves a five-goal hole over 36 minutes, but the fact is that in two games the Leafs have surrendered 10 goals after being the NHL's worst defensive team a year ago.

Somehow, Ron Wilson's got to find a way to tighten things up.

Part of the answer might have presented itself when highly touted netminder Jonas (The Monster) Gustavsson made his first regular-season appearance, relieving Vesa Toskala after one period with the Leafs already behind 3-0.

Wilson downplayed the decision afterward, but it's not hard to believe that he has lost faith in Toskala and is prepared to throw Gustavsson into the crease and hope the 23-year-old Swede conjures up some magic.

How good or bad Toskala was is really beside the point. He allowed goals on the first, fifth and seventh shots he faced and, after allowing seven goals to Buffalo in the final pre-season game, has posted an .800 save percentage in slightly less than 85 minutes of play so far this season.

The 1979 Montreal Canadiens couldn't have flourished with that type of netminding.

The situation is similar, in some ways, to the 1992-93 season when Grant Fuhr and rookie Felix Potvin started the season sharing the Leaf net, but by the playoffs Fuhr had been traded and Potvin was carrying the load of a No.1 goalie.

The question is, how ready and how healthy is Gustavsson after his training camp was short-circuited by a minor heart ailment?

"I feel good. Everything feels normal now, so I have nothing to complain about," he said after stopping 16 of 19 Capitals shots. "But maybe I'm not sure about how ready I am. I've never played in this league before. It's up to the coaches."

In his first 12 minutes of action, Gustavsson found out just how difficult it can be to play goal for these Leafs. He faced 11 shots, including two breakaways, and gave up two goals.

"I had a little bit of nerves. My heart rate was up a bit," he said with a smile. "I was a little nervous but I really had nothing to lose out there tonight. It was fun and I think I did all right."

Wilson being Wilson, he was poised and ready to ridicule any suggestion that Gustavsson had supplanted Toskala as the starter.

"Geez, you guys build monuments to players before they deserve it," complained the Leafs' head coach, saying he doesn't know which goalie will start Tuesday against Ottawa.

Bet on Gustavsson.

There were also changes on the Leafs' blue line. Luke Schenn and free-agent newcomer Francois Beauchemin were split, with Jeff Finger replacing Schenn, who then moved alongside Ian White.

Beauchemin, a 27-minute man in the season opener, played slightly more than 20 minutes last night and was a minus-2. He's minus-4 on the season and has been on the ice for six opposition goals.

Clearly, moving to Toronto from the tight defensive system in Anaheim where he got to play third banana behind Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger has proven to be an adjustment.

"All 20 guys have to be on the same page. Communication is the big thing and giving up four breakaways is unacceptable," he said while dealing with the largest media scrum he has likely ever faced as an NHL player.

"I just want to get back to playing my game. I haven't played the way I'm capable so far."

Few Leafs have. If Wilson's looking for a reason to feel better, that would be it.

Now, let The Monster have the net.

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